UK PM condemns 'far-right thuggery' as riots continue across country

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday condemned what he described as "far-right thuggery" and said perpetrators would face the full force of the law after days of violent anti-immigration protests culminated in hotels being targeted.

Violent protests have erupted in towns and cities across Britain after three girls were killed in a knife attack at a children's dance class in Southport in northwest England last week.

The murders were seized on by anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim groups as misinformation spread that the suspected attacker was an immigrant and a radical Islamist. Police have said the suspect was born in Britain and are not treating it as a terrorist incident.

The protests spread through cities across the country, including in Liverpool, Bristol and Manchester on August 3, resulting in dozens of arrests as shops and businesses were vandalized and looted and several police officers were injured.

On Sunday, hundreds of anti-immigration protesters gathered by a hotel near Rotherham, northern England, which Britain's interior minister said was housing asylum seekers.

The protesters, many wearing masks or balaclavas, threw bricks at police and broke several hotel windows before setting a large bin close to the hotel on fire.

Local police said 10 officers were injured in Rotherham during confrontations with the crowd of 700 people, some of whom threw planks of wood and sprayed officers with fire extinguishers before smashing hotel windows.

One officer was knocked unconscious and others had suspected broken or fractured bones, police said.

"The mindless actions of those today have achieved nothing other than sheer destruction and leaving members of the public and the wider community in fear," said Lindsey Butterfield, assistant chief constable at South Yorkshire Police.

National Police Chiefs' Council lead for public order BJ Harrington said on Sunday that since the night of August 3, there have been 147 arrests connected to violence. He said he expected that number to rise in the coming days.

"Disinformation is a huge driver of this appalling violence and we know a lot of those attending these so-called protests are doing so in direct response to what they've read online," Harrington said.

"I utterly condemn the far-right thuggery we've seen this weekend," Starmer said in a statement, adding it was criminal violence and not legitimate protest.

"Be in no doubt, those that have participated in this violence will face the full force of the law."

In a press conference on August 2, Starmer urged big social media companies to take responsibility in combating misinformation and disinformation.

Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, leader of the opposition Conservative Party, said the unrest across the country is "violent, criminal behavior that has no place in our society."

"The shocking scenes we're seeing on the streets of Britain have nothing to do with the tragedy in Southport," Sunak said on X, adding that the police have "our full support to deal with these criminals swiftly."

Humza Yousaf, former first minister of Scotland, said on X that the police "clearly do not have a handle on this situation" and called for military intervention.

"How much worse does it have to get before the army is sent in?" he said.

(With input from agencies)